Healthcare legislation that soon may be passed by Congress would halt the growth of physician-owned hospitals and prevent any more from opening after Aug. 1. Dallas-based Reliant Healthcare Partners says as many as six of its planned 13 such hospitals might not go forward without physician investment, the Dallas Morning News reports. Critics of the facilities say the practice of physicians referring patients to their own hospitals is a conflict of interest that results in unnecessary, more expensive care.
The Wisconsin Senate has approved a bill that would allow for more medical malpractice claims against healthcare providers. The bill allows parents to sue for pain and suffering damages if their adult-aged children die as a result of medical negligence. Adult-aged children could sue for damages when their parents are victims of malpractice under the bill. A coalition of groups representing doctors, providers, and insurance companies lobbied against the bill, which needs approval in the state Assembly to become law.
Democrat Martha Coakley's struggle to stave off a defeat in a special Senate election in Massachusetts marks a critical point in the debate about healthcare reform, the Washington Post reports. Regardless of the outcome, the Democrats and Rebublicans appear headed toward a clash over the issue in the coming midterm elections. A victory by state Sen. Scott Brown would give Republicans 41 votes in the Senate and further embolden them to challenge healthcare reform. And Democrats could face an internal battle over how or even whether to proceed with the legislation, the Post reports.
The White House and Democratic Congressional leaders have begun laying the groundwork to ask House Democrats to approve the Senate version of the bill and send it directly to President Obama for his signature. The move comes as they look for a backup plan to rescue their healthcare legislation if Republicans win the special election in Massachusetts on Tuesday, the New York Times reports. With the race too close to call, Democrats are considering several options to save the bill.
White House and Senate Democratic officials said that they believed asking the House to pass the Senate health bill unchanged was likely to be their best hope if their party loses a Senate seat in Massachusetts. But House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's office signaled that the House wouldn't go along with that, the Wall Street Journal reports. A defeat in Massachusetts would deprive Democrats of their filibuster-proof majority in the Senate and also could underscore the unpopularity of the health legislation, reports the Journal.
Critics, especially Republicans and doctors, have long complained that the medical malpractice system showered huge fees on attorneys, did little for ordinary Americans, and added billions of dollars in costs, the Los Angeles Times reports. But after a massive lobbying campaign and party-line votes in Congress, the malpractice system is largely untouched by the Democrats' healthcare overhaul.